General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
Ten years ago this month, I started the Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D Third Edition News website and began gathering clues and tidbits about the then-upcoming new edition of D&D. Six months in, I opened our first forums and the community that had rubbed shoulders on WotC's newsgroups and via e-mail finally had a place to get to know each other. Two years after I started, I passed the torch and the forum community over to Russ and his EN World, a site he developed first for creating a campaign setting and for hosting reviews of d20 system products (and running a chatroom based fan award ceremony called The ENnies).
Now, here we are, a decade later, a whole edition of D&D later. A lot has changed. There were times when I thought the end had come. There was a time when Russ hit financial times so tough he would have shut the doors - but you folks donated something close to $20,000 over the course of a few weeks to keep this place alive. There were also times when I thought the community's reaction to a new edition would create a rift in the community so deep it would never be whole again.
It is so gratifying to see this place - still here, still growing and thriving, with so many folks who were around right from the start still leading by example and showing everyone what Grandma's Rule is about. Thank you, Russ, for taking what I started to a whole new level and doing it so well for so long. And thank you, everyone, for being part of this community.
Thank you very much. Having been along for the ride, I can say that this site in its incarnations has become a central point for my staying in touch with the DnD community.
"If you die first, we're splitting up your gear" - SkidAce
"Just because you don't like it, don't understand it, and can't explain it, doesn't mean that it doesn't work. "- Celebrim
That's amazing! It doesn't feel like 10 years at all. I'm a whole decade older than I was when I first stumbled across Eric's site!
It's been a blast, though. It's had its ups and downs; there have been times when I've felt it's not worth it, and other times when I've realised just why it really is worth is. I've made dozens of friends (although I don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like). And, I'm pleased to report, I've been playing D&D every week for the whole of that time (and many years before it).
We should certainly mark the event somehow. A brand new logo which mentions the 10 years would be cool, I think!
Thoughts of the Arch Chancellor - My weblog on EN World - containing game related material, like: house rules, design theories, reviews, play reports, adventure ideas
Secret Member of <Think we would just hide our secret with a spoiler tag, eh?>
You know, I hesitate to call out just one more community member (because there are so many who play such a big role here) but ... Piratecat has been around since the beginning and has been such an integral part of the tone here, and the Story Hour forum, and moderating and stuff ... a big thank you to Piratecat as well!
And speaking of moderating ... a huge thank you to all of our moderators, past and present. If you are currently serving, or are a Moderatus Alumnus, please report in so we can hurl things at you give you the recognition you deserve!
Man, I wish I still had that photo. Or the one with you as Col. Playdough's baby.
I do have the song about you, but for some reason I can't attach it.
This site, and Morrus's other one will always have a special place in my heart. So much has happended to the world and to me in the last decade, and this community is tied up in all of it for me. We've celebrated births and weddings (including mine and d20Dwarf's), mourned the passing of members, and watched in horror as Chairman Kaga narrated what he was seeing on that dark day in September of 2001.
Many of the relationships that started on this board have grown into real world friendships. Many of us get together each year at GenCon, and at game days around the country. I've seen people announce that they were moving to a new town and have offers of assistance, gaming groups and friendship pop up all over the place. The internet is an amazing thing. Who among us would ever have thought 10 years ago that we'd turn into a real, extended family? Because that's exactly what's happened.
And finally, though I mentioned it briefly up above, I have to thank Eric and Morrus for making possible the best thing that has ever happened to me. My husband and I met here, at Eric's site, years ago. We became acquaintances, then GenCon breakfast buddies, and finally, years later, we fell in love and got married. Pretty amazing, eh?
Last edited by Buttercup; 23rd August 2009 at 04:09 PM..
Ten years ago this month, I started the Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D Third Edition News website and began gathering clues and tidbits about the then-upcoming new edition of D&D.
I just realized... My daughter is almost as old as EN World.
__________________ The Pbartender
"I don't believe it. There she goes again! She's tidied up, and I can't find anything! All my tubes and wires and careful notes and antiquated notions..." - Thomas Dolby
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